BFI NETWORK and MADREFOCA present a production from LUNAPARK PICTURES and RED BREAST PRODUCTIONS A short film by SARAH CLIFT Produced by SERENA ARMITAGE PIETRO GREPPI - 2:39:1 – 15mins – HD LOGLINE A selfless vicar’s wife is possessed by a strange force, unlocking a mischievous (and pleasurable) side she never knew she had. SYNOPSIS Trapped in a world of domesticity and servitude, long suffering vicar’s wife Valerie (55), has spent a lifetime serving others. At her wits’ ends, she makes a quiet plea to the Virgin Mary, who answers her prayers in the form of a strange force. Convinced she is possessed, Valerie fights her path to enlightenment every step of the way, until she realises there actually might be some benefits to being kind to yourself. PRODUCTION NOTES The Birth of Valerie Venus is the second short film by visionary writer/director Sarah Clift and the first joined production by producers Serena Armitage and Pietro Greppi. The short was developed and produced with the assistance of BFI NETWORK and with additional funding and support from the Mexican production company Madrefoca. BIOGRAPHIES SARAH CLIFT – Writer and Director A creative and visionary writer/director, Sarah Clift’s background is in writing award-winning advertisement campaigns in London agencies. Sarah made a bold move to writing and directing film with her debut short, LA MADRE BUENA (THE GOOD MOTHER), which arose to immediate acclaim in Oscar and Bafta-qualifying festivals, receiving 50 wins and nominations. She is currently working on several projects focusing on unique stories led by strong female characters including the feature film TWO OLD MAIDS (producers Serena Armitage and Pietro Greppi), part of the iFeatures 2019/20 development lab run by Creative England and supported by the BFI, BBC Films and ScreenSkills. THE BIRTH OF VALERIE VENUS is Sarah’s second short film and has already been selected for the Oscar-qualifying Bermuda Film Festival. www.sarahclift.com // @scliftuk JANE GUERNIER – Valerie Jane trained at Middlesex University and with Phillippe Gaulier in Paris. She has worked extensively with movement-based theatre companies Complicite, Told By An Idiot, Scarlet, and Brouhaha and also with Clod, Volcano and Paines Plough. Theatre includes: All Night I Dream About Being Good (The Yard); And The Horse You Rode In On and A Little Fantasy (Told By An Idiot); Shelf Life (National Theatre Wales); Beauty and the Beast (Lyric Theatre/Warwick Arts); Red Ladies (Clod); Copenhagen (Tabard Theatre); Senora Carrar’s Rifles, Winners and Interior (all Young Vic); The Unconquered (Stellar Quines/ Traverse); The Last Present (Polka); Love & Other Fairy Tales, Sisters & Others, The Fruit Has Turned To Jam In The Fields (all Scarlet); Brand (RSC/Haymarket); and The Opium Eaters (Brouhaha). Television includes: Dr Thorne, Doctors, Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC); Murder Prevention (C5); Hustle, and Passer By (BBC) Film includes: Marigolds (Zona Pictures – as Award Nominated lead role); Hello You (Fecund Films); Not Waving (Arcane Pictures) and Love Juggling (C4). PAUL HUNTER – Norman Paul is co-founder and Artistic Director of Told By An Idiot. Theatre includes: La Cage aux Folles (Park Theatre), Wise Children (Old Vic/Kneehigh), Life of Galileo (Young Vic), The Little Match Girl; The Mystery Plays; Much Ado About Nothing; Troilus and Cressida; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Under the Black Flag (Shakespeare’s Globe), Gaslight (Northampton), Tartuffe (Birmingham Rep), The Fantasticks (Duchess Theatre, West End), Napoleon Disrobed; The Farenheit Twins; Don’t Laugh – It’s My Life; You Haven’t Embraced Me Yet; I’m So Big; On The Verge of Exploding (Told By An Idiot Tour), Nocturnal (The Gate Theatre), Rapunzel; The Red Shoes (Kneehigh), Beauty and the Beast (Belgrade Theatre Coventry), The Water Engine (Young Vic/Theatre 503), Physick Lies-A-Bleeding (Apothecary Hall), Oliver Twist; Aladdin; Pinocchio (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith), Playing the Victim (Traverse/Royal Court), The Play What I Wrote (Wyndham’s Theatre/Liverpool Playhouse), The Firework Maker’s Daughter (Sheffield Crucible), I Can’t Wake Up; Happy Birthday, Mister Deka D (Told By An Idiot/Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith/Tour), Richard III (English Shakespeare Company), Twelfth Night; Animal Farm (Northern Stage), Les Enfants Du Paradis (RSC), The Servant of Two Masters (Sheffield Crucible), Baldy Hopkins (The Right Size), The Wasp Factory (Glasgow Citizens Theatre), Popeye (David Glass Ensemble). Film and TV includes: Bridgerton, Quiz, The Birth of Valerie Venue, Midsomer Murders, Still Open All Hours, Denial, This Beautiful Fantastic, Pan, Marvellous, Cinderella, Maleficent, Wizards vs. Aliens, Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean, One Day, Trinity, After You’ve Gone, Absolute Power, The Only Boy For Me, Tunnel of Love, Mitchell and Kenyon, Black Books, Hardware, Everything I Know About Men, My Family, Music at the Close, Absurd, Vertical Hold, Hanging Around. SERENA ARMITAGE AND PIETRO GREPPI – Producers Joined by a common interest in stories of outsiders and visionary talent, Serena Armitage and Pietro Greppi are developing several projects together. Their combined slate includes Sarah Clift’s feature debut TWO OLD MAIDS via the iFeatures programme and a feature adaptation of Laura Kaye’s novel ENGLISH ANIMALS with director Claire Oakley and writer Emily Marcuson, supported by the BFI. THE BIRTH OF VALERIE VENUS is their first completed production together. Serena spent a decade making programs for ITV, including the BAFTA nominated ‘For The Love Of Dog’s, before winning an Academy Award for producing Benjamin Cleary’s short film ‘Stutterer’ in 2016. In the same year, she set up Red Breast Productions, and the company received slate funding through the prestigious BFI Vision Award. To date, Red Breast has produced a Film London funded short ‘FOG’ with the team behind ‘Stutterer’ and a TV pilot ‘Bored’ directed by Georgia Oakley, selected to have its world premiere at SXSW2020. Serena is also developing an LGBTQ drama with writer / director Chika Anadu, backed by BBC Films. www.redbreastproductions.com // @redbreastfilms Pietro produced Andrew Steggall's BFI-funded debut Departure, starring Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther, and Giacomo Cimini’s award-winning short The Nostalgist. He has developed projects with partners including The Wellcome Trust, Ingenious and Creative England and executive-produced three debuts due for release in 2020/21: Camille Griffin’s Silent Night, starring Keira Knightley, produced by Marv and Maven Pictures; Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart, funded by Film London’s Microwave scheme; and Eliza Schroeder’s Love Sarah, starring Celia Imrie. Pietro began his career across sales, finance and distribution at Magnolia Pictures in New York and Goldcrest in London. His company, Lunapark Pictures, was selected for a BFI Vision Award in 2020. BFI NETWORK BFI NETWORK exists to support, develop and champion new filmmakers looking to kick-start their career. Made possible through National Lottery funding, they collaborate with film organisations and leading cultural venues across the UK to provide short film and early feature development funding, industry-backed professional development and networking support to producers, writers and directors of all ages. MADREFOCA – Executive Producers Madrefoca is an internationally awarded production company based in Mexico City and Los Angeles that creates content for film and advertising. It was created in 2012 by Jorge Aguilera, Alejandro Saevich, and Vanessa Hernández. Madrefoca has twice been named Mexico’s Production Company of the Year at Circulo de Oro, Mexico’s premiere advertising awards. In 2016, Madrefoca produced Sarah Clift’s short film La Madre Buena. The film was shot in and around Mexico City. It screened at Academy and BAFTA recognised film festivals and received 50 wins and nominations including a BIFA long list, BFI Postroom Pick, Gold Cannes Young Director Award, Shots New Director of the Year, Free the Bid New Director and New Filmmakers LA Best Screenplay. The film received high profile coverage including The New York Times, BBC World News, Buzzfeed and Huffington Post. In 2018, Madrefoca produced Mamartuile, directed by Alejandro Saevich. The filmed has screened at more than 80 film festivals including Clermont- Ferrand, Palm Springs and Biarritz and was an Oscar contender for 2020. It won best short film (Golden Hugo) at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was nominated for best short film at the Ariel Awards, Mexico’s Academy Awards. The film was picked up by HBO for viewing on their platform. In 2019, Madrefoca co-financed The Birth of Valerie Venus, Sarah Clift’s second short film, with the British Film Institute (BFI). SAFITRI WIDAGDO – Executive Producer Safitri Widagdo appreciates women's work and representation across various storytelling media. She took an active interest in film in 2019 by collaborating with producer Pietro Greppi to support The Birth of Valerie Venus along with two feature debuts: Eliza Schroeder's Love Sarah and Michelle Antoniades' Sweetheart. JONAS MORTENSEN – Director of Photography Originally from Denmark and now based in London, Jonas Mortensen began his journey at film school, lighting shorts and art films before progressing into commercials, music videos and a wealth of feature documentaries. His Short Film "Cowboy Dave" directed by Colin O'Toole won a BAFTA for Best Short Film in 2018. Most memorable from his collection of documentaries is his feature length "Ole, Ole,